At the initial start of being an aspiring entrepreneur, most visionaries are cash strapped as they are trying to break ground as a newly established business. As they embark on their entrepreneurial journey, Africa IT Hubs provide up-and-coming entrepreneurs with a platform of working spaces and a variety of specialised business resources to help build and grow their business. In simple terms, Africa IT Hubs offer the starting blocks on which young companies stand on when they first start out: office space, phone lines, Wi-Fi access, and corporate training. Africa IT Hubs help make the African continent more accessible by offering vital information on how to set up a small business and by providing a variety of skills to help budding entrepreneurs, that in return, boost the South African economy through leadership and job creation. Africa IT Hubs is creating an internal economy whereby all its members are to leverage off one another’s skills and try to keep the expenditure internally for all to benefit for as long as possible.
Ranked just below Nigeria, South Africa has one of the continent’s best economies and is at the forefront of fuelling global entrepreneurship through Africa IT Hubs. The country is home to a start-up ecosystem of expectant entrepreneurs that are still dreaming about their own business despite the harsh worldwide pandemic. Africa IT Hubs, an incubator for striving entrepreneurs, provides the opportunity to be a part of this exciting innovation as the mentorship program for ‘Entrepreneurs in Africa’ continued equipping entrepreneurs during the pandemic. This innovative business concept and visionary approach to spark and encourage entrepreneurship in Africa definitely deserves a pat on the back for pioneering and nurturing future leaders in business.
Co-Founder and CEO of Africa IT Hubs, Deon Kellerman shares that “the Entrepreneurs in Africa Consortium attracts some of the most prestigious investors into Africa, as well as high-level industry experts from around the world. Africa IT Hubs is involved in several globally recognised resources and utilises this to leverage resources to their internal entrepreneurial community. Our exclusive affiliation with these organisations allow us to tap into global networks and opportunities to offer exposure and growth to our members.”
Africa IT Hubs is a firm believer in Africa as a global powerhouse in the SME sector. Kellerman comments that their global partners and networks allow them to bring their members access to investment deals and partnerships that would otherwise be closed to them.
He further elaborates; “Networking opportunities are not just for big businesses. Small companies can tap into the global market and connect with new strategic partners by joining our network at Africa IT Hubs. Networking provides a unique opportunity to leverage credibility, resources, and expertise that small businesses simply can’t afford to build on their own.”
Africa IT Hubs cultivates the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa’s youth, by providing them with the necessary skills to become future global innovators. Such is the story of Kirsten Wicomb (26), a start-up novice in the world of entrepreneurship who was unemployed when joining the first “Entrepreneurs in Africa Mentorship Program” and is now running a successful business six months later during a worldwide pandemic.
“If it wasn’t for the opportunity presented by Africa IT Hubs to enrol in the Mentorship Program, I would never have gained the knowledge on how to run my own business practice successfully in Biokinetics”, comments Kirsten. The Mentorship Program equips entrepreneurs by taking their business ideas and formulating a functional business plan that is used in daily enterprise. Supported by the basics of business, the Mentorship Program includes vital knowledge on Sales, Marketing, Finances, Tax, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and how important it is to be able to read clients and connect with people.
Kirsten further shares insights into the program that made her realise that “there is always something in business that you don’t know. You may think you know everything, but you really don’t. As an entrepreneur you have to remain a teachable person that is constantly willing to learn and perfect your craft.” With two degrees behind her name, Kirsten admits that even though she has the formal paperwork, she still did not know the basics of how to run a daily business before attending the Mentorship Program. “Africa IT Hubs gave me the confidence through equipping me with knowledgeable business intellect that I can apply in practical situations to build my own business and my own network.”
The worst stages of a global pandemic resulted in 3 million people losing their jobs in South Africa. The Mentorship Program offered by Africa IT Hubs, aims to help entrepreneurs in Africa start their own businesses with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This forward-thinking concept becomes an organic self-sustaining cycle of ‘giving and taking’ for entrepreneurs in Africa. As they become key drivers of innovation, growth and job creation in our African economy, entrepreneurs become key contributors to the future economic prosperity of the continent.